Rebecca Naunheimer – MA Arts and Lifestyle Journalism

Image credit Rebecca Naunheimer

Rebecca Naunheimer is an alumni of MA Arts and Lifestyle Journalism at London College of Communication.

Where are you working at the moment? In what role?

I’m working as a logger at the London-based TV production company Blast! Films. I’m watching and cataloguing footage before it goes into the edit and making sure the editors know exactly where to find each scene. It’s a great TV entry-level job that allows you to progress into production or directing.

What are some recent interesting projects you’ve worked on?

I've worked on documentary series for the BBC, Channel 4 and an American true crime format – each came with very different, yet equally exciting footage for me to process.

What drives you to succeed?

The luxury of working in a job that I enjoy, that matches my strengths and interests and excites me everyday.

What are your future plans and ambitions?

Having chosen a path a little off the journalistic track doesn’t mean I've lost interest in it. On the contrary, I believe that working in TV offers me a chance to shamelessly pursue on my journalistic interests. With research always having been my favourite part of the journalistic process, I’m eager to work as a researcher on documentary productions. It excites me to look for contributors, dig for facts and stories to get new formats on track. And maybe in the end, I want to direct my own – but that’s in the future.

What did you study at LCC and what year did you graduate?

Coming from a BA in media and communication studies, I was grasping for a chance to apply my theoretical knowledge, and to get creative and practical. The MA Arts and Lifestyle Journalism at LCC offered all that. Combining practice and theory, it allowed me to explore my journalistic skills, while staying critical and on top of the possibilities – and challenges – of contemporary journalism.

How has the course helped you be where you are today?

The course has helped me to identify my strengths and interests. Starting out, I was convinced there was only one way for me to go in journalism: writing. But the course has encouraged me to think more broadly. With open assignments challenging us to follow our creativity and leave the desk to find a great story, I discovered my love for research and interviewing that is now driving me on my career path. And funny enough, I’ve already worked with a fellow LCC journalism graduate, now executive producer on a BBC documentary series.

What piece of advice would you give to new students?

I would tell new students not to panic if a project doesn’t turn out perfectly, but to use the assignments to be brave, experiment and explore your interests. I vividly remember how devastated I was when one of my pieces got bad feedback. In the end however, it was this particular one, which has shaped my graduation project. Luckily, by then, I had made all the mistakes already.

What are your fondest memories of LCC?

My fondest memory of LCC is being surrounded by classmates from every corner of the world – each and everyone with a different approach to journalism, with different ideas and different stories. Being in such a diverse environment makes group projects and discussions in class or over lunch all the more exciting.